Briefly

IRAN

Raisi receives invitation to visit Saudi Arabia

A senior Iranian official said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia's king had invited Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Riyadh. Mohammad Jamshidi, deputy chief of staff for political affairs to the president, made the remarks in a post on his Twitter page, saying the invitation was extended to Raisi by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in a letter. He added the Saudi king said he welcomed the recent deal between the two "brotherly countries" on the normalization of bilateral ties. China, Saudi Arabia and Iran on March 10 announced that the latter two had reached a deal that included the agreement to resume diplomatic ties.

FRANCE

Govt faces key vote after pensions uproar

President Emmanuel Macron's government was set to face two no-confidence motions in parliament on Monday over an unpopular pensions reform that has sparked violent protests and political uproar. Macron's allies are in a minority in the lower house National Assembly, meaning they could be defeated if the opposition unites in sufficient numbers for one of the ballots, which were set for a debate from 4 pm. A decision to force the pension legislation through the National Assembly without a vote last week sparked protests over the weekend, calls for more strikes and outrage about a maneuver seen by many as undemocratic.

INDIA

Japanese PM in New Delhi with eye on trade

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in India on Monday for talks expected to focus on deepening trade and technology ties. India and Japan along with the United States and Australia make up the so-called Quad alliance. Kishida's visit comes less than two weeks after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also hosted by Indian leader Narendra Modi for talks that boosted trade ties. Albanese, who is forging closer ties with the US and the United Kingdom under the so-called AUKUS alliance, is due to host all the Quad leaders in May.

THAILAND

Parliament dissolved, election set for May

Thailand announced on Monday that the House of Representatives had been dissolved, paving the way for a general election within two months, according to a royal decree. The general election to the 500-member House of Representatives will be held earliest in 45 days or latest in 60 days from Monday, according to the announcement. The House of Representatives was formed after the 2019 general election, with its four-year term scheduled to end on March 23.

Xinhua - Agencies